Set of nine wax plaques showing foetal development and dissection views of a female figure, Europe, 1801-1830

This series of nine wax plaques shows both the development of a foetus during pregnancy plus anatomical details from the dissection of a young, pregnant female figure. Such images would have been used to teach anatomy through illustrating the essential parts of the body during pregnancy. Dissections were normally carried out on the bodies of criminals but as pregnant women could not be executed, opportunities to study the pregnant body were rare.
Plaques and anatomical models were important teaching aids and could highlight and enlarge specific aspects of the body, thereby making smaller structures more visible and understandable. All these plaques are made from wax and the details are carved in relief, creating a 3-D image which projects from a flat surface.